Presence of Ecuador in the Web of Science from open access in pre-pandemic period 2011–2018

This study explores Ecuador's scientific presence in the Web of Science (WoS) database from 2011 to 2018 through open access (OA), a period marked by national reforms and growing international visibility. Understanding Ecuador's scientific output is crucial for evaluating the impact of recent research policies, identifying gaps in knowledge dissemination, and assessing integration into global scientific networks. It evaluates the impact of OA policies on visibility, citation rates, and collaboration between Ecuadorian universities, particularly between public and private ones. Data from 9005 Ecuadorian publications indexed in WoS were analyzed using bibliometric and statistical techniques. Publications were segmented by journal access type (open or subscription) and university nature (public or private). Statistical tests were applied to assess citation differences and correlations between variables, including analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Pearson's correlation. This study examined trends in OA adoption and compared the citation counts between OA and subscription-based publications. A K-means algorithm cluster analysis segments the universities based on their OA outputs. Of the 9005 documents, 42 % were OA, and they received more citations than subscription-based articles. No significant correlation was found between Research, Development and Innovation (R&D&I) investment and scientific production. Collaboration between public and private universities has increased, with the National Polytechnic School and the University of Cuenca leading OA output. Ecuador's presence in WoS has grown, with OA publications increasing its visibility and impact. However, to sustain this growth, enhanced policies and financial support are required to promote OA.